Environmental Persistent Organic Pesticides in the Serum and Breast Milk of Lactating North Carolina Women
On this page:
Persistent organic pesticides are environmental chemicals that are found in measurable concentrations in human populations even though some of these chemicals have been phased out of use, production, or release to the environment. Many of these chemicals are lipophilic compounds that bioconcentrate in the food chain and are present in detectable amounts in human populations. There is a paucity of data about human exposures through breast milk to the persistent organic pesticides especially in US studies and even fewer studies exist with repeated measures over time from the same individual. The goal of the US EPA Methods Advancement for Milk Analysis (MAMA) Study was to develop or adapt methods to measure persistent organic pesticides and other environmental chemicals in milk and serum twice during lactation (at 2-7 weeks and 3-4 months postpartum) in 34 North Carolina women. Milk and serum were quantified for persistent organic pesticides (hexachlorobenzene (HCB), hexachlorocyclohexane (HCCH), oxychlordane, trans-nonachlor, DDE, DDT and Mirex). A majority of both the milk and serum pesticide samples contained pesticides at concentrations above LOD, excluding serum HCCH. The majority of the chemicals did not show depuration (decreased amount of chemical between two points in lactation) of milk between visits; only HCB showed decreased concentrations in milk at the second clinic visit. Mean concentrations were highest for p,p’-DDE (163 ng/ml lipid in milk, 102 ng/ml lipid in serum) with Mirex having among the lowest concentrations (0.7 ng/ml lipid in milk, 0.9 ng/ml in serum). These data suggest that breast feeding North Carolina mothers are exposed to these environmental persistent organic pesticides and they can partition to breast milk.